Refrigerator unit



1938. w. A. GEBHARDT ET AL 2,132,985

REFRIGERATOR UNIT Filed Deb. 28, 1936 zshe ets-snaet 1 w-A-BEhhar-dr Oct; 11, 1938. w. A. GEBHARDT El AL REFRIGERATOR UNIT Filed Dec. 28, 1936 2 Sheets-Shst 2 Get: Ear-d Patented Oct 11, 1938 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE amass; nnrnrcnna'roa um'r Willard a. Gebhardt m Edwin J. itadtke,"

Milwaukee, Wis.

This invention appertains to refrigeration, and moreparticularly to a'cooling unit with novel means for circulating a constant volume of cool air through a refrigerator.

One of the primary objects of our invention is to provide a refrigerating unit of a compact and simple order, which will occupy a minimum amount of space, and which can be advantageously disposed in a refrigerator to insure a maximum amount of storage space in said refrigerator.

Another salient object of our invention is to provide a cooling unit embodying a rotary air blower,'with novel means for leading the air past a refrigerating unit, so as to bring about a constant circulation of cool air in said refrigerator.

Another object of our invention is to provide novel means for subjecting the air. to a water fllm as the air flows past the refrigerating unit, whereby to bring about the washing of the air and the humidifying thereof, so as to prevent shrinkage and discoloration of meat, and so forth, and to prevent undue collection of frost on the refrigerating'unit. v

'With these and other objects in view, the mventionconsists in the novel construction, ar

rangement, and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved cooling unit showing the same suspended from. the ceiling of a refrigerator.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of our improved cooling unit. Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the cooling unit taken on line H, of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, transverse section taken on line H of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

' Referring to the drawings in detail; wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the

letter C generally indicates the improved cooling unit, and R a refrigerator in which the same can be disposed. The refrigerator R can be ofany preferred type, and of the character generally used in meat markets, and the like. As illustrated, the refrigerator includes a top wall or root tandendandsIdewaHsCand'L' The improved cooling unit 0 comprises a sh metal body II, which can be suitably treated to withstand deterioration from rust and the like. This body includes longitudinally extending,

spaced, parallel side walls ll, end walls l2 and I3, and a bottom wall ll. Extending transversely across the body is a partition wall l5 defining a chamber ii for the blower element l1 and a chamber It, the purpose of which will be later set forth.

The blower element I1 is preferably of themtary-,wheel impeller type having a row of circumferentially extending peripheral vanes l9. Air is sucked in through the side wall of the blower, and is expelled through an opening in the outer wall of the blower casing. The blower outlet can have communicating therewith a flared distributor mouth 20, which extends through the lower end of the partition wall is. It is to be noted that the top of the body is open, and that the lower wall thereof in rear of the fan or blower i1 is provided with an air inlet opening 2|.

The body can be reinforced in any preferred manner, and has riveted or otherwise secured thereto at spaced points transversely extending strips-of angle iron 22. Suspension bolts 22 depending from the roof 5 of the refrigerator extend through the angle irons.

Arranged within the compartment l 8 in spaced relation to the bottom wall ll of the body is a drip plate 24, having punched therein a plurality of drip openings 25. The portions of the metal around the walls of the drip opening are struck up, as at 26, so as to form a series of nipp es,

which extend slightly above, the upper face of the drip plate. That portion of the compartment l8 below the drip plate constitutes a drip pan, and an over-flow pipe 21 communicates with said drip pan for leading water therefrom. That portion of the compartment ll above the drip plate has mounted therein in any suitable manner a refrigerating unit 2', and this unit can be of any desired character or make best suited for the purpose intended.

It i'a to be noted'that the ends of the drip plate 24 have formed thereon upstanding side flanges 29, which are riveted or otherwise secured to the endv 'wall I! of the'body and the partition wall li. Theside longitudinal edges of the drip plate have formed thereon depending flanges 3', which rest on the upper face of the bottom wall I! of the'body, and thesevflanges "serve as means for supporting the drip plate and reinforcing the II for the unit, and

allel relation to the side walls I! of the body;

In use of our improved cooling unit, the same is suspended from the ceiling of a refrigerator in the manner described and shown in Figure 1, and a constant volume of air will be forced by the blower I! in the compartment I8 below the drip plate 24. This air willflow through the openings 25, and will be equally distributed over the refrigerating unit 28. The air flowing past the refrigerating unit will strike the ceiling or roof of the refrigerator, and wfli then be forced downwardly completely around the refrigerator. Water dripping from the refrigerating unit 28 will collect on the drip plate 24, and due to the formation of the'nipples 26, a constant film of water will collect on the upper surface of said drip plate. Hence, the air flowing throughthe openings will be cleansed and humidified. Thisis highly important as the humidified air prevents loss of meat by shrinkage, and otherwise acts to correctly keep food stored in the refrigerator.

When the water rises above the nipples 26, the

same will flow intothe drip pan, and. the air blowing over the surface of the water in the drip pan will also pick up moisture therefrom. As set forth, when the water reaches a certain height in the drip. pan, the same overflows into the pipe From the foregoing description, it can be seen that we have provided an exceptionally simple and compact coolingunit, which will permit a constantvolume of humidified cool air to be distributed throughout the refrigerator.

When the ceiiing is interrupted, or positioned at such distance from the equipment that it cannot be used for a deflector, as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, we attach a deflector plate 32, which deflector plate is connected to tlie refrigerating unit 28 by straps 33.

Changes in-detailmay be made without departing from the spirit or scope of ouf invention, but what we claim as new is:

2,182,986 these guard plates are arranged in spaced par 1. A cooling unit for a refrigerator comprising a body adapted to be disposed in close proximity o the ceiling of therefrigerator, a transversely extending partition in said body defining a pair of compartments, a refrigerating unit in one of 5 said compartments, a drip plate in the last-merrtioned compartment below the refrigerating unit having a plurality of openings therein, the por tionof the last mentioned compartment below the drip plate constituting a drip pan, an overflow pipe for said drip pan,and a rotary air blower arranged in the other compartment for forcing air into the first compartment over the water in the drip pan and through the openings in the drip plate past the refrigerating unit, said drip plate having nipples extending around the openings therein,'whereby to permit a fiim of water to collect on the drip plate.

2. A cooling unit for a refrigerator comprising, a. body adapted to be disposed in close proximity to the ceiling of the refrigerator, a transversely extending partition in said body defining a pair of compartments, a refrigerating unit in one of. said compartments, a drip plate in the last mentioned compartment below the refrigerating unit having a plurality of openings therein, the portion of the last mentioned compartment below the drip plate constituting a drippan, an overflow pipe for said drip pan, a rotary air blower arranged in the other compartment for forcing air into the first compartment over the water in the drip pan and through the openings in the drip plate past the refrigerating unit, said drip plate having nipples extending around the openings therein, whereby to permit a film of water to collect on the drip plate, said body being open at its top, and having an opening in its bottom in the compartment receiving the blower.

WILLARD A. GEBHARDT. EDWIN J. RADTKE. 

